Surf cams help you evaluate conditions much the same way looking at a picture of a Big Mac explains how it will taste.
Checking the surf this morning and not finding much got me thinking about the whole process of “the surf check.”
Everyone has their own rituals, with variations, to looking at the surf. Some people require coffee (with milk and sugar) or the whole process falls apart. Some use a car (much faster). Others prefer a bike (slower but you see much more detail).
After years of watching swells at your local breaks, you should be able to tell a lot about how other breaks may be reacting to a particular swell or combination of swells. So if spot A is showing a lot of South swell you can leave the NW swell spots off your list. Unless, there is so much South that everywhere is walled so you may want to check the NW breaks for a chance at a shoulder. OR the South swell is really a Southeast swell, which only lights up a couple of beaches every ten years or so.
Then there you must consider the wind. Every breath of wind provides a new piece of the puzzle. Different wind directions can groom it to perfection or blow it to ribbons.
The surf check is really a riddle.
The cams can help, but only to the extent that you know a break already. Sort of like being able to tell how a Big Mac will taste by looking a picture of one. If you had one yesterday you have a good idea. If you have never eaten one, you’ll have no clue.
In the end it always comes down to, “Go out, or go to breakfast.”
Happy trails and good hunting!
